10 Ways AEW Has Revolutionised Pro Wrestling

5. Advanced Equality

OMEGA PAC
James Musselwhite/AEW

There used to be a prerequisite for making it in North American mainstream pro wrestling. A wrestler had to have the correct body, the correct look, the correct persona - "correct" being a byword for "mandated".

This does not apply in AEW.

Nyla Rose is a history-making transgender performer who plays the hoss role excellently when in opposition to smaller, gutsy athletes who know exactly how to sell for her raw power. It shouldn't be, but promoting her so openly and with such conviction marks a real paradigm shift.

Marko Stunt is an anti-mainstream performer getting over in a rapidly-shifting mainstream. He is tiny, but has adapted his style so that he relies on his teammates to execute his offence, nimbly filling the psychological gap. Ditto Orange Cassidy, whose ironic, wholly unique ring style, alien to the mainstream, has seen him become one of its fastest-rising stars. Several pushed, profiled performers are not native English speakers (Fénix, Pentagon Jr., Riho). Their work transcends mandated overly verbose scripts, rendering them useless, as if they ever served one.

Traditional body types and antiquated notions of realism - inherently farcical, given the essence and very definition of pro wrestling - no longer apply.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!